I like small things that quietly do the heavy lifting — a tiny hub tucked behind a TV, a USB stick that turns dumb bulbs into a private, offline lighting system. I built an off-grid smart lighting scene that runs entirely on a pocket-sized Zigbee hub and local rules. No cloud, no monthly fees,...
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Buying Guides
I’ve spent a lot of time testing pocket-sized audio gear in real-world...
Reviews
On a recent cross-country train trip I wanted to see if I could travel light...
How-Tos
I’ve spent a lot of time chasing mysterious battery drains on Pixel phones,...
How-Tos
I’ve turned old Android phones into pocket-sized mobile hotspots more times...
I’ve spent a lot of time chasing mysterious battery drains on Pixel phones, and one of the common culprits I keep running into is background wake locks — apps holding the CPU or radio awake when you don't expect them to. Wake locks are a normal...
I’ve turned old Android phones into pocket-sized mobile hotspots more times than I can count — it’s one of my favourite travel hacks. Instead of renting expensive travel Wi‑Fi, paying inflated roaming fees, or carrying another single-purpose...
Quick answer: the Echo Dot (4th Gen) can control parts of a minimalist smart home without sending every command to Amazon’s cloud, but only with important caveats. I’ve tested compact setups and poked around Amazon’s developer notes, and...
If you game on a midrange Android phone, the audio path matters more than you might think. I spend a lot of time testing pocketable solutions, and one recurring question I get is: which USB‑C earbuds actually keep audio latency low enough for...
I often get asked how to give short-term rental guests reliable internet without exposing my main home network. My go-to trick is turning a pocket Wi‑Fi repeater (or a small travel router) into a dedicated, secure guest network. It’s compact,...
I admit — I love the convenience of saying “Hey Google, good night” and having lights dim, plugs turn off, and the thermostat set. But I also care about keeping as much of that automation as possible off the cloud. Over the last few years I've...
I spend a lot of time commuting through crowded trains and hot cafés with my phone tucked into a pocket or a small bag. Overheating gadgets aren’t just annoying — they throttle performance, kill battery life, and in the worst cases risk data...
I moved into a two-bedroom flat last year and, like many people, I wanted fast, reliable Wi‑Fi everywhere without a bulky router taking over my living room. A tiny mesh Wi‑Fi node felt like the right answer: compact, aesthetically pleasing, and...
I took a week to live out of a backpack and a laptop to answer one practical question: can a 13‑inch USB‑C portable monitor really replace my laptop screen when I care about color accuracy and input latency? Short answer: some can come...
I rely on pocket-sized hubs and single-cable setups for almost everything I do, so when a USB-C accessory stops behaving on my Mac, it interrupts work fast. Over the years I’ve developed a compact checklist that solves most common problems without...